They invite me all the time and they always have old/extra gear. If you tell your friend that you don’t have gear but you will pick up some stuff, I am almost sure he will tell you he has some gear you can borrow.

And if you love it and you find out you are going to fish again, you can always get your own stuff. But if you don’t know if you are ever going to go again in the near future, why would you shell out money when you don’t have to. I’m sure your friend has extra.